Root responses of triticale and soybean to soil compaction in the field are reproducible under controlled conditions

Soil compaction includes a set of underlying stresses that limit root growth such as increased impedance and limited oxygen availability. The aims of the present study were to (i) find acclimations of triticale (× Triticosecale) and soybean (Glycine max L.) roots to compacted soils in the field; (ii) reproduce these under controlled conditions; and (iii) associate these responses with soil physical properties. To this end, plants were grown at two different soil bulk densities in the field and under controlled conditions representing mature root systems and the seedling stage respectively. Diameters, lateral branching densities, the cortical proportion within the total root cross-section and the occurrence of cortical aerenchyma of main roots were quantified. Soil compaction caused decreasing root branching and increasing cortical proportions in both crops and environments. In triticale, root diameters and the occurrence of aerenchyma increased in response to compaction in the field and under controlled conditions. In soybean, these acclimations occurred at an initial developmental stage but due to radial root growth not in mature roots. These results showed that responses of root systems to compacted soils in the field are, to a large extent, reproducible under controlled conditions, enabling increased throughput, phenotyping-based breeding programs in the future. Furthermore, the occurrence of aerenchyma clearly indicated the important role of limited oxygen availability in compacted soils on root growth.

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Root and shoot growth in safflower as affected by soil compaction

Australian Journal of Crop Science ◽

10.21475/ajcs.20.14.09.p2466 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1443-1448

Author(s):

Caroline Beal Montiel ◽

Deonir Secco ◽

Araceli Ciotti Marins ◽

Luiz Antônio Zanão Junior ◽

Jeikson Rafael Deggerone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Crop Yield ◽

Soil Compaction ◽

Shoot Growth ◽

Soil Bulk Density ◽

Carthamus Tinctorius ◽

Field Conditions ◽

Compacted Soils ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Root And Shoot Growth

Soil compaction, induced by no-tillage practices, can negatively impact soil properties important for plant growth. Compacted soils can restrict root growth depth, resulting in reduced crop yield. Although safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) has a deep root system, yield may still be affected by soil compaction. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate safflower root and shoot growth when submitted to soil compaction in an Oxisol soil under controlled (greenhouse) and field conditions. Five soil bulk density measures were performed in a greenhouse (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 Mg m–3). Four compaction levels (established by the number of passes of a farm tractor: 0, 1, 3, and 5 passes consecutively) were performed to evaluate the effect of soil compaction in the field. Root and shoot growth were measured after harvesting the plants. Safflower root growth was reduced when soil compaction increased from 1.1 to 1.5 Mg m–3 under controlled (greenhouse) conditions. In field conditions, we observed a decrease in root length, and fresh and dry matter in roots and shoots of safflower as the soil compaction increased to 5P (1.28 Mg m–3). The results of our study suggest safflower root and shoot growth can be impacted by soil compaction which could affect crop yield.

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Involvement of ethylene in ectomycorrhiza formation and dichotomous branching of roots of mugo pine seedlings

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b89-067 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 477-482 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

L. A. Rupp ◽

K. W. Mudge ◽

F. B. Negm

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Laccaria Laccata ◽

Pinus Mugo ◽

Silver Thiosulfate ◽

Root Branching ◽

Pine Seedlings ◽

Mycorrhiza Formation ◽

Endogenous Ethylene ◽

Ethylene Action

The role of ethylene in mycorrhiza formation and root development on axenically grown seedlings of Pinus mugo Turra var. mugo was examined. Mycorrhizal formation by Laccaria laccata and Pisolithus tinctorius in a defined liquid medium was associated with increased ethylene production. Ethephon (100 μM) stimulated dichotomous branching of roots inoculated with P. tinctorius, but had no effect on those inoculated with L. laccata, or on uninoculated roots. Ethephon had no effect on the percentage of susceptible roots that became mycorrhizal with either fungus. The inhibitor of ethylene action, silver thiosulfate, had no significant effect on mycorrhiza formation by P. tinctorius, but it did show a trend toward decreased mycorrhiza formation by L. laccata when applied at concentrations of 10 μM or higher. Silver thiosulfate at 100 or 500 μM slightly increased dichotomous root branching of seedlings inoculated with either fungus, but these concentrations also caused blackening of root meristems and inhibition of root growth. These results are consistent with the interpretation that endogenous ethylene may influence mycorrhiza formation and associated changes in root morphology.

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β-Cyclocitral is a conserved root growth regulator

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1821445116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (21) ◽

pp. 10563-10567 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Alexandra J. Dickinson ◽

Kevin Lehner ◽

Jianing Mi ◽

Kun-Peng Jia ◽

Medhavinee Mijar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Lateral Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

Root Systems ◽

Growth Promoter ◽

Oxygen Species ◽

Root Branching ◽

Crown Root ◽

Cell Divisions ◽

Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling

Natural compounds capable of increasing root depth and branching are desirable tools for enhancing stress tolerance in crops. We devised a sensitized screen to identify natural metabolites capable of regulating root traits in Arabidopsis. β-Cyclocitral, an endogenous root compound, was found to promote cell divisions in root meristems and stimulate lateral root branching. β-Cyclocitral rescued meristematic cell divisions in ccd1ccd4 biosynthesis mutants, and β-cyclocitral–driven root growth was found to be independent of auxin, brassinosteroid, and reactive oxygen species signaling pathways. β-Cyclocitral had a conserved effect on root growth in tomato and rice and generated significantly more compact crown root systems in rice. Moreover, β-cyclocitral treatment enhanced plant vigor in rice plants exposed to salt-contaminated soil. These results indicate that β-cyclocitral is a broadly effective root growth promoter in both monocots and eudicots and could be a valuable tool to enhance crop vigor under environmental stress.

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Role of Calcium on Phenolic Compounds and Enzymes Related to Lignification in Soybean (Glycine max L.) Root Growth

Plant Growth Regulation ◽

10.1007/s10725-006-0013-7 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 69-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Aline Finger Teixeira ◽

Aneliz de Bastos Andrade ◽

Osvaldo Ferrarese-Filho ◽

Maria de Lourdes Lucio Ferrarese

Keyword(s):

Glycine Max ◽

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Root Growth ◽

Glycine Max L

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Plant roots sense soil compaction through restricted ethylene diffusion

Science ◽

10.1126/science.abf3013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 371 (6526) ◽

pp. 276-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bipin K. Pandey ◽

Guoqiang Huang ◽

Rahul Bhosale ◽

Sjon Hartman ◽

Craig J. Sturrock ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Soil Compaction ◽

Warning Signal ◽

Gas Diffusion ◽

Wild Type ◽

Compacted Soils ◽

Compacted Soil ◽

Modern Agriculture ◽

Hormone Responses ◽

Root Tissues

Soil compaction represents a major challenge for modern agriculture. Compaction is intuitively thought to reduce root growth by limiting the ability of roots to penetrate harder soils. We report that root growth in compacted soil is instead actively suppressed by the volatile hormone ethylene. We found that mutant Arabidopsis and rice roots that were insensitive to ethylene penetrated compacted soil more effectively than did wild-type roots. Our results indicate that soil compaction lowers gas diffusion through a reduction in air-filled pores, thereby causing ethylene to accumulate in root tissues and trigger hormone responses that restrict growth. We propose that ethylene acts as an early warning signal for roots to avoid compacted soils, which would be relevant to research into the breeding of crops resilient to soil compaction.

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Integrating N signals and root growth: the role of nitrate transceptor NRT1.1 in auxin-mediated lateral root development

Journal of Experimental Botany ◽

10.1093/jxb/eraa243 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 71 (15) ◽

pp. 4365-4368

Author(s):

Katerina S Lay-Pruitt ◽

Hideki Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Root Development ◽

Lateral Root ◽

Auxin Biosynthesis ◽

Root Branching ◽

Lateral Root Development ◽

Experimental Botany

This article comments on: Maghiaoui A, Bouguyon E, Cuesta C, Perrine-Walker F, Alcon C, Krouk G, Benková E, Nacry P, Gojon A and Bach L. 2020. The Arabidopsis NRT1.1 transceptor coordinately controls auxin biosynthesis and transport to regulate root branching in response to nitrate. Journal of Experimental Botany 71, 4480–4494.

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β-cyclocitral is a conserved root growth regulator

10.1101/337162 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Alexandra J. Dickinson ◽

Kevin Lehner ◽

Jianing Mi ◽

Kun-Peng Jia ◽

Medhavinee Mijar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Lateral Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

Root Systems ◽

Growth Promoter ◽

Root Branching ◽

Crown Root ◽

Cell Divisions ◽

Chemical Screen ◽

Β Carotene

AbstractNatural compounds capable of increasing root depth and branching are desirable tools for enhancing stress tolerance in crops. We devised a sensitized screen to identify natural metabolites capable of regulating root traits in Arabidopsis. β-cyclocitral, an endogenous root compound, was found to promote cell divisions in root meristems and stimulate lateral root branching. β-cyclocitral rescued meristematic cell divisions in ccd1ccd4 biosynthesis mutants and β-cyclocitral-driven root growth was found to be independent of auxin, brassinosteroid, and ROS signaling pathways. β-cyclocitral had a conserved effect on root growth in tomato and rice and generated significantly more compact crown root systems in rice. Moreover, β-cyclocitral treatment enhanced plant vigor in rice plants exposed to salt-contaminated soil. These results indicate that β-cyclocitral is a broadly effective root growth promoter in both monocots and eudicots and could be a valuable tool to enhance crop vigor under environmental stress.One Sentence Summaryβ-cyclocitral is a metabolite of β-carotene that was identified using a sensitized chemical screen and acts broadly across plants to enhance root growth and branching.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Role of oxygen availability in CFTR expression and function.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1137933.595035 ◽

2008 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew Bush

Keyword(s):

Oxygen Availability ◽

And Function

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Evaluation of Leaf Litter Mulching and Incorporation on Skid Trails for the Recovery of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Properties of Mixed Broadleaved Forests

Land ◽

10.3390/land10060625 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 625

Author(s):

Meghdad Jourgholami ◽

Azadeh Khoramizadeh ◽

Angela Lo Monaco ◽

Rachele Venanzi ◽

Francesco Latterini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Compaction ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Soil Protection ◽

Natural Soil ◽

Compacted Soils ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Forest Logging ◽

Soil Recovery

Engineering applications can be used to mitigate the adverse effects of soil compaction and amend compacted soils. Previous literature has highlighted the beneficial effects of interventions such as litter mulching and incorporation on skid trails. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these alternatives in restoring forest soil quality after forest logging. The objective of this study was to properly elucidate the effects of the above mentioned soil protection methods, litter incorporation before skidding (LI) and litter mulching after skidding (LM), on the recovery of compacted soil’s physico-chemical and biological properties on skid trails over a 2-year period in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran to identify the best option for restoration intervention. The litter used in both methods consisted of dried leaves of the hornbeam and maple tree in three intensities of 3, 6, and 9 Mg ha−1. The results showed that the application of both methods (LI and LM) significantly improved the soil properties when compared to the untreated skid trail. Results showed that the recovery values of soil properties in the LI treatments were significantly higher than those of the LM. The recovery values of soil properties by 6 and 9 Mg ha−1 were significantly higher than those of 3 Mg ha−1, while the differences were not significant between 6 and 9 Mg ha−1. Our findings showed that soil properties were partially recovered (70–80%) over a 2-year period from treatment, compared to untreated, but the full recovery of soil properties required more time to return to the pre-harvest value. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that the application of soil protection methods accelerates the process of recovering soil properties much faster than natural soil recovery, which can take more than 20 years in these forests.

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